Method and system for product identification in network-based auctions

ABSTRACT

A method is provided of accessing product information for listing a product on a network-based auction service. The method includes selecting via a user interface the product from stored product information and electronically sending to the auction information about the selected product. The selected product is to be listed on the auction and the stored product information includes a data structure. A computer readable medium is provided that includes instructions adapted to execute a method of accessing product information for listing a product on a network-based auction service.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office,patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rightswhatsoever.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a method and system for implementingenhanced network-based auctions and postings-for-sale. In one embodimentof the present invention, the enhanced auctions and postings-for-saleare implemented over the Internet.

Businesses have traditionally been limited in their opportunity todispose of their old inventory and used assets. Oftentimes, businesseshave scrapped these items, generating no revenue return, or have reliedon brokers to dispose of them in a manner generating revenue for thebusiness. In turn, these brokers often use auctions as one means ofdisposing these assets or inventory while attempting to maximize therevenues that can be generated. These broker auctions may be limited tospecific customers for particular types of items or the auctions may beopen to all potential bidders. In the first case, a broker may want tolimit the auction where the potential pool of actual customers islimited or where allowing an open auction may, in some manner, hinderthe auction process. In the latter case, where the auction is open toall potential bidders, it is often beneficial to maximize the number ofpeople participating in the auction in order to extract the greatestprice for the asset being auctioned. The problem in this latter case hasbeen in attracting a large enough auction audience to facilitate amaximization of the return on the disposing of the asset.

The advent of the Internet along with the accompanying revolution incomputer and network technology has created new auction paradigms,including several forms of network-based auctions. The Internet providesthe ability to aggregate large numbers of bidders in all types ofauctions, such as, for example, ascending bid auctions, reverseauctions, and Dutch auctions. Priceline.com® is an example of atraditional reverse auction process made available over the Internet. Inanother example, eBay® provides a traditional ascending bid auctionservice over the Internet. An eBay® type ascending bid auction isideally suited for the broker auction process discussed above. Since itsfounding in 1995, eBay® has become the world's largest onlinemarketplace providing a powerful platform for the sale of goods andservices among a passionate community of individuals and businesses.Everyday, millions of items across thousands of categories are availableon eBay®, for sale by auction and for a fixed price, enabling trade on alocal, national, and international basis with customized Internet Websites in markets around the world.

Businesses have typically kept their information, including informationregarding the assets and inventory they wish to sell or auction off, indatabase systems that are part of their corporate information systems.For example, SAP® A.G. of Germany provides data management tools such astheir SAP® R/3® and mySAP™ Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systemthat can manage this type of information. Conventional systems do notprovide the automatic linking between these business informationmanagement systems and online Web auction services, such as eBay®, and,therefore, manual involvement with the Web auction service is requiredfor each auction or sales posting conducted. Providing a system linkingbusiness information management systems with a Web auction service andautomating the auction submission, tracking, and post-auction processingwill considerably improve the ability of businesses to sell or auctionoff assets, such as current or old inventory, in a manner allowinggreater price maximization, and thereby increasing business revenue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a diagram illustrating the high level architecture of theenhanced network-based auction service according to one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 1 b is a diagram further illustrating the architecture of theauction application according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 1 c is a diagram further illustrating the architecture of theauction application according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a top-level abstraction of the enhancednetwork-based auction process according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 a is a diagram illustrating the product identification processaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 b is a diagram illustrating a computer graphical user interface(GUI) for creating a listing according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 c is a diagram illustrating the specification of listinginformation in the seller interface of the auction application accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 d is a diagram illustrating a listing published on a Web auctionservice according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 e is a diagram further illustrating a listing published on a Webauction service using seller provided information from the auctionapplication according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 f is a diagram illustrating the incorporation of shipping andpayment information in a listing from a seller-defined shipping profileaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 a is a diagram illustrating how forms of payment may be specifiedin a listing and how selection of one form of payment links a winningbidder/buyer to an appropriate payment site according to one embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 4 b is a diagram illustrating a sample checkout Web page for aseller site (auction application) run checkout process according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 c is a diagram illustrating a listing in the process of checkoutin a sample listing management screen as part of the seller interfaceaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 a is a diagram illustrating a seller interface display allowing aseller to monitor his/her listings according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 b is a diagram illustrating a seller interface display allowing aseller to search his/her listings as part of the monitoring processaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 c is a diagram illustrating the advanced search designationscreen of the seller interface according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 d is a diagram illustrating the viewing of bidding informationfor an auction listing according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A method is provided of accessing product information for listing aproduct on a network-based auction service. The method includesselecting via a user interface the product from stored productinformation and electronically sending to the auction information aboutthe selected product. The selected product is to be listed on theauction and the stored product information includes a data structure.

The data structure may include a hierarchy of products in a multi-levelcatalog. The information about the selected product may include adescription, a price, a category, a quantity, and/or an image.

The method may include manually entering information about a furtherproduct into the stored product information. The method may includeverifying the information about the further product against a relevantbackend information system.

The method may include importing a stored product information item. Thestored product information item may be selected as a function of ananalytical process. The analytical process may analyze data regarding atleast one listing on the network-based auction service. The method mayinclude storing the product information item in a business informationmanagement system. The business information management system may be anSAP R/3 based system and/or an SAP CRM based system.

A computer readable medium is provided that includes instructionsadapted to execute a method of accessing product information for listinga product on a network-based auction service. The method includesselecting via a user interface the product from stored productinformation and electronically sending to the auction information aboutthe selected product.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method andsystem for integrating a business information management system with aWeb auction service is provided through an auction application. Theauction application allows a seller to generate listings (e.g., auctionsand postings-for-sale), allows for the execution of listings on a Webauction service, processes winning bidder/buyers, and monitors existinglistings leveraging the power of a seller's business informationmanagement system. The auction application serves as the bridge betweenon the one-hand the seller and the seller's business informationmanagement system and on the other hand the Web auction service and thewinning bidders/buyers.

Architecture:

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an application forthe enhanced network-based auction services (“auction application”)links an existing business information management system with anetwork-based auction service (hereinafter also referred to as a Webauction service). In this embodiment, the auction application is acomponent-based multi-tier application developed according to the Java™2 platform, enterprise edition standard (J2EE™) and running on top ofthe SAP® Web Application Server (SAP® Web AS). The auction applicationis linked to a business information management system, such as, forexample, SAP® R/3®, using business information management systemplug-ins to tie the auction application to the business informationmanagement system backend functions. The auction application is alsolinked to a Web auction service using communication protocols such as,for example, HTTP, secure HTTP, and SOAP protocols.

FIG. 1 a is a diagram illustrating the high level architecture of theenhanced network-based auction service according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. The auction application 100 in this embodiment isdeployed as a J2EE™ web application running on top of the SAP® Web AS.The auction application 100 allows users (e.g., sellers, bidders/buyers,and administrators) to communicate with it through a user interfacelayer 101. In FIG. 1 a, three user interfaces are shown: anadministrator user interface 102; a seller user interface 103; and abidder/buyer user interface 104. The administrator user interface 102allows administrator level—not seller specific-functionality for theauction application 100 primarily relating to auction applicationconfiguration and user authorizations. The seller interface 103 providesfunctionality to a seller 106 for managing its network-based auctionsand postings-for-sale (i.e., listings). For example, a seller 106 maygenerate and manage listings through the seller interface 103. A seller106 may also monitor listings through the seller interface 103. Otherfunctions that may be available through the seller interface 103 mayinclude, for example, the generation and maintenance of a productcatalog, scheduling and tracking the publishing of listings on the Webauction service 108, the generation of feedback relating to thelistings, and setting seller preferences. The bidder/buyer userinterface 104 provides functionality to allow a winning bidder/buyer 105to interact with the seller 106 and auction application 100 to makenecessary arrangements for finalizing the execution of the winning bidor purchase made on the Web auction service 108.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 a, the user interface layer 101uses HTML to implement the user interfaces 102-104. In particular forthe seller user interface 103 and administrator user interface 102, aprotocol such as the SAP® secure HTML for Java™ may be used to implementHTML with Web controls using comprehensive tags. In addition Struts, anopen-source tool, may be used to segregate the business data and logicfrom the user interfaces while implementing complex user interfacesusing, for example, Java™ servlets, JavaBeans™, and EnterpriseJavaBeans™.

The backend layer (BLS) 110 is the part of the auction application 100that handles the communication with the business information managementsystem 120. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 a, the businessinformation management system 120 is an SAP® R/3® application release4.0 or higher. The backend layer 110 uses the SAP® Java™ Connector (JCo)component 111 in this embodiment to provide the communication betweenthe J2EE™ auction application environment and the business informationmanagement system 120.

The services layer 112 includes functional components for processmanagement of the enhanced network-based auction process as depicted inFIG. 1 a. In particular, the services layer 112 handles the interfacewith a database 117 used by the auction application 100 to store, forexample, product and listing information. The services layer 112 may useJava™ Data Objects (JDO) 115 for information sent to or retrieved fromthe database 117, in this example an SAP® DB database. In thisembodiment, OpenSQL 116 is used as the query language for interactionwith the database 117. In addition, the services layer 112 may providespecialized functional service components such as the Web auctionservice communicator 113 (referred to in FIG. 1 a as the Communicator)discussed later. Web auction service communicator 113 may be acommunicator adapted to be used with one or more network-based auctionservices, and/or may include different pluggable components fordifferent network-based auction services.

Other functional service components may include a scheduler for thescheduling of tasks by the auction application 100. For example, a taskmay be an object with an executable block of program code enclosed withtiming information inside a job. The scheduler may run as a service inJ2EE™ handling the execution and management of jobs and task by theauction application 100. Some scheduled tasks may involve interfacingwith the Web auction service 108. For example, a listing creation taskmay be used to create a listing in the Web auction service 108 at ascheduled time. In another example, a winner poll task may be used tosynchronize information about listings that have been won orpostings-for-sale that have successfully been responded to. A bidsynchronization task may synchronize information about bids for alisting maintained by the auction application 100 with the bidinformation maintained by the Web auction service 108. A categorysynchronization task may be used to synchronize the descriptive andsearch categories used by the Web auction service 108 with categoriesused by the auction application 100. A feedback task may synchronizefeedback information for a listing or seller 106 provided by Web auctionservice bidders 105 with the auction application 100. The above exampletasks specifically refer to the transfer and synchronization ofinformation between the Web auction service 108 and the auctionapplication 100. Other tasks may be internal to the auction application100 or may involve synchronization with the business informationmanagement system 120. For example, a product catalog synchronizationtask may update product details for a listing in the auction application100 (and eventually the Web auction service 108) with the productdetails in the business information management system 120.

Another functional service component may include an internal recoverymanager to manage failures in network-based communications andtransactions between the auction application 100 and the Web auctionservice 108. A persistence manager is another example of a functionalservice component that can be used to ensure data persistence betweenthe data used in the auction application 100 and data in the database117. Specifically in FIG. 1 a, the persistence manager may handle datapersistence between the business objects used by the auction application100 and the Java™ data objects 115. The Java™ data objects 115 map tothe database 117 through OpenSQL 116 as provided for in the SAP® Web AS.

An embodiment of auction application 100 provides a method and system torecover information and/or recover from a system failure. For example,the auction application 100 may enable a user (e.g., seller 106 and/oradministrator 107) to recall steps in a listing initiation process.Conventionally, when a user attempts to publish a listing in Web auctionservice 108, various steps may be performed, sometimes in multiplesystems. These steps may validate the listing with the Web auctionservice 108 and the Web auction service 108 may send information to abackend system such as the business information management system 120.Conventionally, a Web auction service 108 may prevent a user from goingback a step, perhaps allowing only forward movement through screenprompts. Limiting the direction of the progress through screen promptsmay be due to the involvement of multiple systems in the process.

Therefore, in case of a failure of some sort, for example a screenfreeze, a keyboard lockup, system crash, network communication error,network or power outage, etc., it may be useful to provide a system thatreturns a user to the most recent step on which the user was working.One embodiment of the present invention may record steps in the auctionlisting process and thereby provide a method for returning to theprevious screen or prompt, or to any previous screen or prompt.

This embodiment of the present invention may be useful in anymulti-phase application that provides a series of screens or prompts toa user in which the system limits the ability of the user to return to aprevious screen and/or prompt. In this embodiment, a process may returnto an initial screen/prompt and then functionally input a recording ofentries and/or responses until the previous screen/prompt before thelockup, system failure, etc. or to a previous point determined by auser.

Conventional systems may not allow the release of a reservation of aquantity of a product in a listing after a predetermined period of timepasses (the entry may have a certain life span). Therefore, it may beuseful to recover a transaction to prevent the system from duplicatingreservations for product quantities.

For example, a user may create a listing and begin to publish thelisting before an electricity failure. The auction application 100 mayhave reserved the quantity of the product in the listing in the businessinformation management system 120 but not published the listing to theWeb auction service 108. In this situation, a user may re-attemptpublishing the listing and thereby avoid creating a new reservation forthe quantity of the product in the listing. In an embodiment of thepresent invention may enable a user to resume the listing publishingprocess at a step saved in the database.

In a system that operates in conjunction with two or more non-compatiblesystems, a user may be prevented from returning to an initial prompt orscreen. In this situation, an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention may enable the user to return to an intermediate state and/ora beginning of a last-good state. The intermediate state or last-goodstate may represent, for example, a beginning or end of any of thefollowing functions: creation, reservation, publication, createcustomer, create order, check payment, release delivery block, and/ordeliver product.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the auctionapplication 100 may incorporate milestones in particulartransactions/processes at which point the transaction state informationis saved and at which point a transaction can be recovered.Alternatively, the user may define milestones in the system tofacilitate the return to an intermediate step. For example, the user mayconfigure transaction milestones relating to the creation of a customer,publication, or any other appropriate milestone. If the auctionapplication 100 or another system utilizing this exemplary method failsto respond and/or locks-up at the same point in the process, the usermay know that the error is caused by the screen and/or the systemaccessed by the screen when the lock-up reoccurred.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a failure recoverymanager models each of the processes as a series of steps with eachexecution of a process treated as a process instance. For example, aprocess to publish a listing may include-four steps: 1) save listing; 2)create quotation/reservation; 3) publish to Web auction service; and 4)save listing again. Each time a publish listing process is executedaccording to this embodiment, it is assigned a unique identifier (e.g.,listing identifier) and treated as a single instance of the processhaving a state holder used by the failure recovery manager to track theexecution of the process. The failure recover manager tracks how far aprocess instance has successfully executed and maintains and updatesstate information before and after the execution of each step in theprocess. If the execution of a process instance fails at anyintermediate step, the execution of the process instance terminates butthe failure recovery manager may use the state holder information toresume the process instance from the last successfully completed step.

The Web auction service communicator 113 provides the interface betweenthe Web auction service 108 and the auction application 100. The Webauction service communicator 113 translates auction application 100actions to Web auction service 108 API calls. For example, an auctionapplication 100 action to create or publish a listing may be translatedinto a Web auction service 108 API call such as “AddItem.” Using eBay®as an example, the AddItem call sends a request to the eBay® platform topost a listing and includes arguments such as, for example, a definitionof the item being sold, payment methods the seller is willing to accept,and global regions the seller will and will not ship the item to. TheWeb auction service communicator 113 translates the “create listing”auction application activity into the “AddItem” Web auction service 108API call. The API call may be placed in an XML packet using the SAP®Java” XML binding toolkit 114, which allows the mapping of Java™ objectsto XML documents. The XML packet may include specific informationincluding packet header data. For example, the XML packet may include anIdentifier including the seller 106 user ID and password for the Webauction service 108, an API call identifier for the Web auction service108 API call, and call parameters such as the API call arguments. TheXML packet may be transmitted between the auction application 100 andthe Web auction service 108 by means of an HTTP request. Informationreceived from the Web auction service 108 may be received as an HTTPrequest and its content may be mapped to Java™ objects also by using theSAP® Java™ XML binding toolkit 114.

One aspect of the auction application 100 is the business object layer118 (also referred to as the business logic layer 118 in FIG. 1 a). Thebusiness object layer 118 may communicate with the user interface layer101 using JavaBeans™ to transfer data. Data is transferred in eitherdirection by generating and transferring the appropriate JavaBeans™. Atthe business object layer 118, processing and interaction of databetween the users and user interface layer 101, the business informationmanagement system 120, the Web auction service 108, and the servicelayer 112 with its component services (including data from the database117) occurs. The business object layer 118 may be implemented using acommercial architecture such as, for example, the SAP® Internet SalesArchitecture (ISA) framework as part of the SAP® Web Application Server.In one embodiment of the present invention, the ISA framework is usedthroughout the auction application 100 including in the communicationbetween the winning bidders/buyers 105 and the business informationmanagement system 120 through the use of plug-ins to allow the ISAframework to link to, for example, the SAP® R/3® backend 120.

FIG. 1 b is a diagram further illustrating the architecture of theauction application according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 b, the business objectlayer 118 (also referred to as the business logic layer) includes thebackend layer (BLS) 110 and services layer 112 (also referred to as theservice provider layer) that were shown separately in the embodiment inFIG. 1 a. Business objects 135-137 include, for example, an auctionmanager 135, bid manager 136, and winner manager 137 which communicatewith the user interface layer 101 by means of JavaBeans™ 139. Thebackend layer 110 may include objects that communicate with the userinterface layer 101. For example, an order manager 140 may allow a buyer105 to communicate with the business information management system 120backend through communication between user interface layer 101 objectsand backend layer system 110 objects using JavaBeans™ 139. The backendlayer system 110 may also communicate with business object layer 118business objects 135-137. For example, a backend user-mapping object 142in the BLS 110 may allow business objects in the BOL 118 to access datain the business information management system 120. As previouslydiscussed, the service layer 112 may include a number of functionalservice components including a persistence manager 131, a scheduler 132,a Web auction service communicator 134, and a Java™ object-to-XML databinding service 133.

The SAP® Internet Sales Application (ISA) framework for the SAP® R/3®system is used according to one embodiment of the present invention. Inan alternative embodiment other frameworks may be used, for example, tointegrate an SAP® CRM backend with the auction application instead of anSAP® R/3® backend.

The business objects in the business object layer 118 are functionalcomponents providing a number of services according to the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 1 b. For example, the listing manager 135 may includecodes for a number of functions such as: create listing, create listingtemplate, copy listing, modify listing, view listing details, publishlisting, publish listing by schedule, activate listing, cancel listing,close listing, and search listings. The “create listing” function allowsa seller 106 to create a new listing for an auction or aposting-for-sale. A listing may be created in a number a ways includingby selection from a product catalog, database query, database report,manual entry, using a listing template, and in loading an external file.The listing manager 135 allows the seller 106 to provide listingspecific information and may validate that the requirements of the Webauction service 108 for the listing are met. For example, a Web auctionservice 108 may require that particular information is included when alisting is created. The “create listing” function may then validate thatthe seller 106 included the information and otherwise prompts the seller106 for this information. The “create listing template” function allowsa seller 106 to create a template for use with future listings. Theinformation provided by the seller 106 for the template is automaticallyused when the seller 106 selects the template during the “createlisting” function discussed above. The seller 106 may then modifytemplate information or add information omitted from the template tocomplete the new listing. A listing template facilitates the generationof multiple listings particularly when similar listings are going to bescheduled at multiple times. The “copy listing” function allows a seller106 to copy the information from an existing or stored prior listinginto a new listing-the seller 106 creates a new listing from an existingor old listing. The seller 106 finds the existing or old listing to becopied, selects the “copy listing” function and then edits the listinginformation to generate a new listing. The “modify listing” functionallows a seller 106 to modify the attributes of an existing listing tothe extent allowed by the Web auction service 108. For example, a Webauction service 108 may allow a listing to be modified until it becomesactive at which time the listing is locked and no further changes to itsattributes can be made during the execution of the listing. A Webauction service 108 may also allow changes to particular listingattributes during the execution of the listing. For example, a seller106 may be allowed to change the reserve price during the execution ofan auction. The Web auction service 108 requirements need to beaccounted for by the “modify listing” function to avoid conflictsbetween the auction application 100 and the Web auction service 108. The“view listing details” function allows a seller 106 to view the detailsof a listing and may include information about an active listing that isbeing executed. For example, the “view listing details” function mayretrieve bidding information for an active auction listing that is beingexecuted (i.e., the auction is in progress). The “view listing details”function may be divided into two functions: one for viewing the listingdetails and a second for viewing details regarding the execution of thelisting on the Web auction service 108. For example, the “view listingdetails” function may provide information regarding the listing itselfwhile a “view bid history” function may provide listing executioninformation from the Web auction service 108. The “publish listing”function allows a seller 106 to submit a created listing for publicationby a Web auction service 108. The “publish listing by schedule” functionallows a seller 106 to schedule the publication of a listing alreadycreated or based on a listing template. For example, a listing templatemay be used to schedule a similar listing to be published every week,day, month, etc. The “activate listing” function allows a seller 106 toactivate a listing before the submitted start time of the listingprovided that the Web auction service 108 allows the manual activationof a listing. Under some circumstances, the manual activation of alisting may be necessary if a Web auction service 108 does not require astart date for a listing and one is not provided. The “close listing”function allows a seller 106 to close a listing before the submitted enddate and time of the listing provided that the Web auction service 108allows changing the conclusion date of the listing. The “cancel listing”function allows a seller 106 to cancel a listing before it becomesactive with a Web auction service 108. It is unlikely that a Web auctionservice 108 will allow the canceling of an active listing but if this isallowed, the “cancel listing” function may allow the canceling of anactive listing as well. The “search listings” function may allow aseller 106 different ways to search through listings. For example, thesearching may occur only for seller 106 created listings stored by theauction application 100 in its own database 117 or in the businessmanagement information system 120. The “search listings” function mayalso allow a seller 106 to search through listing on the Web auctionservice 108. The “search listings” function may also incorporatedifferent ways to conduct the search to include, for example, searchingby product, start date, end date, listing status, description, category,etc. Other examples of listing manager 135 component functions mayinclude a “bidder/buyer feedback” function to display to the seller 106bidder/buyer feedback provided to Web auction service 108 regarding thelisting and seller and a “listing finalization” function to triggerpost-auction/sale processing including the retrieval of winningbidder/buyer information and creating an order in the businessinformation management system 120.

In another example of a business object layer 118 object, the bidmanager 136 may include code for viewing the bid history or sale historyof a listing. Though previously described as part of the “view listingdetails” function of the listing manager 135, this function mayadditionally or alternatively be included in the bid manager 136. Aspreviously stated, the “view bid history” function may allow a seller106 to view all the bids with associated information (e.g., date andtime) for a listing and may allow the viewing of a bid history forlistings that are active or closed. The winner manager 137 may includecode to allow a winning bidder/buyer 105 to communicate with a seller106 in order to handle and process payments and to direct shipping ofthe listing product(s). The winner manager 137 may include functionsused to trigger post-auction/sale processing including the retrieval ofwinning bidder/buyer information and creating an order in the businessinformation management system 120 in the same manner as the potential“list finalization” function discussed within the listing manager 135.

The backend layer (BLS) 110 objects are also functional componentsproviding additional services for the auction application 100 accordingto one embodiment of the present invention. The BLS layer 110 handlescommunications with the backend system, the business informationmanagement system 120, with which the auction application 100integrates. In the diagrams depicted in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, the backendsystem 120 is the SAP® R/3® system. In other embodiments, other businessinformation management systems can be used as the backend to the auctionapplication 100. For example, SAP® CRM may serve as an alternativebackend. One example of a BLS 110 object is the order manager 140, whichmay include code for a number of functions such as: creating an order inthe backend system 120, viewing the order in the backend system 120, andsearching the backend system orders. The winner manager 137 as discussedabove may trigger the execution of the order manager 140. The “createorder” function allows the auction application 100 to create an order inthe backend system 120 for a winning bidder/buyer 105 of a listing aspart of the checkout process. The order is created using listingexecution information (e.g., winning bidder/buyer and associatedinformation, price, quantity, etc.) obtained from the Web auctionservice 108. The order in the backend 120 may be associated with thelisting through adding (at least one) order identifier to the listinginformation in the auction application 100 and by adding a listingidentifier to the order in the backend 120. The order may includeshipping details and payment information for the winning bidder/buyer105. The “view order” function allows a seller 106 to retrieveinformation through the user interface layer 101 about the order and itsstatus from the backend system 120. The “search orders” function allowsa seller 106, through the user interface layer 101, to search forinformation about multiple orders in the backend system 120. The “searchorders” function may allow a seller 106 to use different parameters toconduct the search in order to sort, aggregate, and/or limit orders inthe results.

The product catalog API object 141 is another backend layer (BLS) 110functional component allowing retrieval and searching of data in theproduct catalog of the business information management system 120 aswell as quantity reservation of products included in a listing. A “viewproduct catalog” function allows a seller 106 to view products availablein a product catalog maintained by the backend, business informationmanagement system 120. As previously discussed, a seller 106 can usethis product catalog to select products for inclusion in a listing. The“view product catalog” function may incorporate filtering to filter outproducts based on particular attributes. This filtering may be performedby the backend system 120 or by the “view product catalog” function inthe Java™ runtime environment in order to display onlylisting-actionable products to a seller 106. The auction application100, in this embodiment, operates in a J2EE™ runtime environment andinteracts with the product catalog of the backend system 120 through aJava™-based API called PCATAPI which is the means of interaction betweenthe product catalog API object 141 and the product catalog according tothis embodiment. The “search product catalog” function also uses PCATAPIwhich allows SAP® TREX-based searching of the product catalog. The“search product catalog” function may allow a seller 106 a variety ofpossible search parameters for finding a desired product. The “quantityreservation” function may be triggered during the listing creationprocess or at a later time in order to prevent the quantity of theproduct included in the listing from being otherwise disposed. Forexample, when a listing is first generated and a quantity “x” of aproduct is included in the listing, the “quantity reservation” functionmay be executed to reserve “x” quantity in the product catalog so thatit remains available for the winning bidder/buyer 105. Alternatively,the “quantity reservation” function may be executed after the listing iscreated such as, for example, when a listing is published or activatedon a Web auction service 108 or when a winning bidder/buyer 105 isdetermined.

The service layer 112 objects are also functional components providingservices for the auction application 100 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. The service layer 112 objects are system levelcomponents that do not directly communicate with the user interfacelayer 101 and the backend system 120. The persistence manager 131 is aservice layer 112 object that ensures data persistency and objectrelational persistency for the auction application 100. The persistencemanager 131 also handles any data redundancy requirements duringdatabase 117 changes or queries to ensure the integrity of the data. Thescheduler 132 is another example of a service layer 112 object thathandles the scheduling of background jobs and tasks as previouslydiscussed. The scheduler 132 primarily handles the scheduling of jobs(i.e., communicating tasks) with the Web auction service 108. The XMLdata binder 133 is a service layer 112 object responsible for themapping in both directions of Java™ objects and XML documents necessaryfor the communication between the auction application 100 and the Webauction service 108 according to this embodiment of the presentinvention. The Web auction service communicator 134 is an example of aservice layer 112 object that handles the communication between theauction application 100 and the Web auction service 108.

The Web auction service communicator 134 may communicate with the Webauction service 108 by using HTTP and secure HTTP communication by meansof post and get requests. Communication with the Web auction service 108needs to conform to the Web auction service 108 API and the Web auctionservice communicator 134 is designed to generate requests using the Webauction service 108 API calls. The Web auction service communicator 134may place the Web auction service 108 API calls inside an XML packet(i.e., an XML document) which is sent in the HTUP request. According toone embodiment, the XML packet includes: user attributes such as aseller ID and a seller password to authenticate the seller 106 to theWeb auction service 108; license attributes providing a developerlicense key where necessary; call identifier for the Web auction service108 API call (i.e., the API function call name); call parameterscorresponding to the API call parameters; and error attributes forreturning errors from the Web auction service 108 to the auctionapplication 100. Using eBay® as an example, the following table includessamples of Web auction service 108 API function calls, a briefdescription of their purpose, and an auction application 100 componentthat may initiate the API call: Corresponding Auction ebay ® APIDescription Application Object GetAPIVersion Returns the API versioncalled Internal API on ebay server AddItem Publishes an Auction to ebayAuctionManager.createAuction ReviseItem Modifies an existing Auction onAuctionManager.modifyAuction ebay RelistItem Relists an earlier listedAuction AuctionManager.modifyStatus which closed without winnersVerifyAddItem Verifies the Listing and returnAuctionManager.verifyAuction the Auction Fee but does not publish theAuction on ebay EndItem Prematurely close an Auction onAuctionManager.closeAuction ebay GetItem Retrieves the Auction data fromAuctionManager.getAuction ebay GetCategories Retrieves the huge CategoryCategoryManager.getCategories Tree on ebay GetCategory2CS Retrieves theCategory Sets CategoryManager.getCategorySets GetAttributesCS Retrievesthe attributes of a CategoryManager.getAttributes( ) category setGetSellerTransactions Retrieves the Transactions doneCategoryManager.getTransactions on ebay for a Seller between a certaintime window GetItemTransactions Retrieves the Transactions onTransactionManager.getTransactions ebay for an Auction between a certaintime window GetSellerEvents Retrieves the ebay Events for a Internal APISeller between a certain time window GetAPIAccessRules Retrieves the APIAccess Rules Internal API on ebay Server GetHighBidders Retrieves thelist of highest BidManager.getHighBidders bidders for an AuctionLeaveFeedback Leaves feedback for a buyer byFeedbackManager.provideFeedback Seller on ebay RetrieveFeedbackRetrieves the feedback for a FeedbackManager.retrieveFeedback Sellerbetween a certain time window GetEBayUser Retrieves the data for a BuyerUserMapper.getUser from ebay

The Web auction service communicator 134 is specific or unique to aparticular Web auction service.108 allowing the remainder of the auctionapplication 100 to be general and relate to any Web auction service 108according to one embodiment of the present invention. According to thisembodiment, the communicator 134 code is modular and can be replaced andor augmented allowing the auction application 100 to work with aplurality of Web auction services 108 as long as the appropriatecommunicator 134 is present. For example, the Web auction servicecommunicator 134 may be stored in a plug-in or servlet used by theauction application 100 that can easily substituted with the appropriateplug-in or servlet for another Web auction service 100 if and whenneeded.

FIG. 1 c is a diagram further illustrating the architecture of theauction application according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. According to this embodiment, the auction application 100includes a J2EE™ application environment container 155 containing theuser interface layer 101 and business object layer 118 communicatingusing JavaBeans™ 139 as already discussed. The business object layer 118in this embodiment includes the backend layer 110 but the services layer112 is separate. A Java™ connector is still used by the backend layer110 in communicating with the business information management system120. The auction application 100 additionally includes further services150 that fall outside the J2EE™ container 155. This embodiment is onlyone further example of the many possible architectures for the auctionapplication that may be employed in various embodiments of the presentinvention.

Different embodiments of the present invention can be implemented usingdifferent architectures, products, and services other than in theexample embodiments described herein. The present invention is notintended to be limited to the products, environments and standardsdescribed herein and may be implemented in different ways in otherembodiments of the present invention.

Deploying the Auction Application:

According to the example embodiment of the present invention, theauction application 100 is developed using the J2EE®-based SAP® Webapplication server. The current release of SAP® Web AS only includes bydefault functionality for digital signatures and not the encryptionnecessary to implement Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. For example,by default SAP® Web AS may allow the auction application 100 to, as partof securing communication, use public key technology to send and receiveencrypted message digests in order to validate the other party to thecommunication—what is commonly known as using digital signatures.However, the complete version of the SAP® Java™ Cryptographic Toolkitmay have to be loaded when deploying the auction application 100 in somecircumstances according to this embodiment. The SAP® Java™ cryptographictoolkit provides support for certificates, symmetric cryptographicalgorithms, and message authentication code (MAC) values (e.g., usingMD5) necessary for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol-based securecommunication over the Internet-in particular the HTTP request-basedcommunication between the auction application 100 and the Web auctionservice 108. If necessary, loading the complete cryptographic toolkitmay be described in the technical documentation provided by SAP® and mayin addition be available from SAP® technical support personnel. Thisadditional step may only be relevant regarding the example embodimentdiscussed above which is based on an early version of SAP® Web AS. Inother embodiments of the present invention, this issue may beirrelevant.

In the example embodiment of the present invention, the auctionapplication 100 is not specific to any one Web auction service 108.Instead, the auction application 100 may be used with many possible Webauction services 108. Using the auction application 100 with a specificWeb auction service 108 may entail the use of an appropriate Web auctionservice communicator 113, 134 specific to the Web auction application108. The specific details of the communication and interaction betweenthe auction application 100 components (objects) and the Web auctionservice 108 may be hard-coded into this specific Web auction servicecommunicator 113, 134. According to this embodiment, the Web auctionservice-specific interfacing is done through the Web auction servicecommunicator 113, 134.

Enhanced Network-Based Auction Process:

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a top-level abstraction of the enhancednetwork-based auction process according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. The enhanced network-based auction process 200 is dividedinto four process steps: product identification & preparation 201, thelisting process 202, post-listing processing 203, and monitoring andanalyzing listings 204. The product identification & preparation step201, the listing process step 202, and the post-listing processing step203 are performed sequentially for each listing (i.e., auction orposting-for-sale) conducted by a seller (e.g., a business entity). Themonitoring and analyzing listings step 204 may be performed continuallythroughout the entire process and does not need to be performed in asequence relative to the other process steps.

The first step in the enhanced network-based auction process is theproduct identification & preparation step 201 according to thisembodiment of the present invention. During this step, two actions inparticular may occur: 1) identifying the product(s) to be auctioned orposted-for-sale; and 2) gathering information about the product(s). Theidentification of products by a seller (e.g., a business) 106 can occurin a number a ways using a business information management system 120according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, aseller 106 may manually compile a list by directly entering theinformation into the auction application. In another example, a seller106 may manually retrieve data from a database or legacy softwareapplication, such as, for example, a Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet.According to this example, the product information is extracted from thelegacy software (e.g., Microsoft® Excel) by exporting the selected datainto a file and loading the file into the auction application 100. Inanother example, a seller 106 may execute a report or query on thebackend business information management system 120 returning a listingof products from which the seller 106 may make a selection. The reportor query may be generated using whatever selection parameters areavailable to limit the results and assist the seller 106 in identifyingthe desired product(s) in an expeditious manner. The fields or columnsavailable in the business information management system 120 databasetables may determine these selection parameters. For example, if a fieldor table allows storing information on inventory location, theninventory location is a potential parameter that may be used ingenerating the report or in forming the query from which anidentification of the product(s) to be auctioned or posted-for-sale canbe made. The selection parameters may also be determined usingcalculated values derived from stored information in the tables of abusiness information management system 120. For example, if a field ortable stores information regarding when a product was received orotherwise became part of the inventory, a calculation using the currentinformation can be made to determine the number of days the product hasbeen carried as inventory. Therefore, for example, the number of days aproduct has been a part of the inventory may be a selection parameterused in generating the report or in forming the query from which anidentification of the product(s) to be auctioned or posted-for-sale canbe made.

In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1 a, the SAP® R/3® system is thebusiness information management system 120 from whose databases a reportor query can be executed and used in the product identification process.Another example of a business information management system 120including a database system from which a report or query can be executedis the SAP® CRM system. For example, the product may exist in the mySAP™Customer Relation Management (mySAP™ CRM) system as a product master ormay exist in the SAP® R/3® system in the Material Management (MM)module. In other embodiments of the present invention, idle assets mayexist in the Asset Management (AM) module of the SAP® R/3® system andequipment may exist in the Plant Maintenance (PM) module of the SAP®R/3® system. In conjunction with SAP® R/3®, other tools can be used ingenerating the reports and queries from which product identification canbe made, including: SAP® Business Information Warehouse (BW) (reports),SAP® ABAP™ (reports and queries); SAP® R/3® modules such as the SalesInformation System (SIS); and third party reporting and query systems.Regardless of the tools used, the product identification and preparationprocess 201 can take advantage of product information already maintainedby the seller's business information management system 120.

FIG. 3 a is a diagram illustrating the product identification processaccording to one embodiment of the present invention. A report, query,or legacy software application 300 can be used as the source of theproduct information. The information from the source is extracted 301into a file 302 such as, for example, a file in CSV (comma-separatedvalue) format (i.e., a Microsoft® Excel recognizable format). The file302 is loaded into the auction application 304 using an auctionapplication configuration management (XCM) 303 setting that specifiesthe location of the file 302. As an alternative to this embodiment,product information may also be entered manually through the sellerinterface 103. In another embodiment, a product catalog may be used inthe product identification process 201. For example, a product catalogmaintained by the business information management system 120 andavailable through the ISA framework may also be used to identify theproduct(s) for a listing.

In addition to identifying the product(s) to be auctioned orposted-for-sale, the first step 201 in the enhanced network-basedauction process may further involve the gathering of information aboutthe product(s)—the staging of the product(s). According to oneembodiment of the present invention, information regarding theproduct(s) is gathered in a staging area, which serves as the virtualrepository of the product information. The staging area may be amemory-based area from which a seller 106 may organize listings or itmay be part of a database 117 in the auction application 100 whereadditional product information may be stored. The additional productinformation may also be provided as either part of the productidentification process discussed above or separately using the samemeans: 1) manual entry, 2) loading from an external file, and/or 3) frominformation available in the business information management system 120such as, for example, from a product catalog. The product informationmay, in one example, include a product ID, quantity, description, plant,storage location, and shipping point in order to fully identify thespecific product so that it can be reserved (discussed later). Lessinformation may be used where only a quantity of a product at a locationneeds to be reserved but not the specific product or where a productlocation is not used.

Listing Processing:

The listing processing itself is the second step 202 in the enhancednetwork-based auction process according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. From a sales perspective, all the products and materials(“products”) identified for auctioning or posting-for-sale areconceptually or electronically gathered in the staging area aspreviously discussed (e.g., in an auction application 100 database 117).These products can now be grouped into listings that will be publishedon and executed by the Web auction service 108. Each grouping may betermed a “listing” and each listing may be for an auction or a directoffer for sale (a posting-for-sale).

The listing information is taken from the product information gatheredin the staging area as previously discussed and may be augmented withadditional listing-specific information provided by the seller 106. Forexample, a quantity of the product to the offered, an auction startprice, an auction reserve price, and a sale price for a posting-for-saleare all examples of listing-specific information that may be provided bythe seller 106. Alternatively, this information may be generated orautomatically determined based on prior sales history and otherinformation available in/to the business information management system120. The seller 106 may create one or more listings and he/shedetermines which products are included in each listing. Products may belisted individually or as a group and, therefore, multiple differentproducts may be included in a single listing if the seller 106 chooses.In addition to the product information, the seller 106 may need toprovide information required by the Web auction service 108 in order toplace (i.e., publish) the listing. The Web auction service 108 mayrequire or allow the specification of additional information that maynot be necessary but may facilitate finding bidders/buyers 105 for thelisting and the seller 106 may also include this information. Forexample, category information for the listing may not be necessary butmay help a bidder/buyer 105 find the listing on the Web auction service108 and therefore would be advantageous for the seller 106 to include inthe listing.

FIG. 3 b is a diagram illustrating a computer graphical user interface(GUI) for creating a listing in a Web auction service according to oneembodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment depicted in FIG.3b, the auction application 100 seller interface 103 includes a “createlisting” screen 310 allowing a seller 106 to create a listing. Thisscreen may be provided as part of the create listing function of thelisting manager 135 in the business object layer 118. This screen showsmultiple potential listings 311 that can each be identified by thelisting type 312. For example, an auction listing may be of the defaulttype “listing” 313 as shown in FIG. 3 b. In addition, a listing name 314may be provided along with a listing description 315 that may be used bythe seller 106 and the Web auction service 108 to help identify andcategorize the listing. Additional examples of listing informationinclude a start price 316, a reserve price 317, sale or “Buy It Now”price (for an offer directly for sale) 318, quantity 319, and closingdate or listing duration 320. In addition to the general listingdetails, additional listing information may be provided. FIG. 3 c is adiagram illustrating the specification of listing information in theseller interface of the auction application according to one embodimentof the present invention. An image of the product(s) may also beincluded in the listing according to this embodiment and is specified bythe full path and file name of the image 330 in the seller interface103. A Web auction service 108 may also use categories to helpbidder/buyers find listings. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3 c, theseller interface 103 allows the seller 106 to specify a primary category331 and a secondary category 332 for the listing. A description template334 allows the seller 106 to include a description template 335 for theproduct which can be included in the listing on the Web auction service108. A marketing profile 337 is used by a seller 106 to improve thevisibility of the listing. A shipping profile 336 may provide shippingdetails (e.g., shipping instructions and/or cost of shipping) for thelisting. Several of the fields in the create listing form lendthemselves to the use of templates (either for the field itself or forthe listing as a whole) which can be stored and reused in futurelistings. This facilitates the listing process for the seller 106.Information specific to the product, such as its location, may also beprovided to facilitate the reservation of the product quantity and toassist in order generation. The quotation/reservation specificinformation does not need to be sent to the Web auction service 108though it may be stored by the auction application 100 in a database 117and used to generate the order in the business information managementsystem 120.

The created listings may be stored in a database 117 in or linked to theauction application 100. The products in the listing may also be linkedto a product catalog or other descriptive information in one or moredatabases of the business information management system 120. The seller106 may then transfer the listings, once created, to the Web auctionservice 108. The auction application 100 communicates with the Webauction service 108 (e.g., transferring listings) by sending Web auctionservice 108 API calls through the Web auction service communicator 113,134 as previously described. The publication of a listing may occurimmediately or may be scheduled for a particular time by the seller 106.For example, a seller 106 may specify as a default that all listings areimmediately published to the Web auction service 108 upon successfullycreating the listing. The seller 106 may rely on this default or may byexception schedule a listing for a future publication date on the Webauction service 108. Additionally, a seller may specify parametersregarding the re-posting of a listing should the listing unsuccessfullyconclude.

FIG. 3 d is a diagram illustrating a listing published on a Web auctionservice according to one embodiment of the present invention. Theinformation provided by the seller 106 is used to generate the publishedlisting as it appears on the Web auction service 108 by sending the Webauction service 108 API calls through the Web auction servicecommunicator 113, 134. For example, the title of the listing 315,category for the listing 331, starting bid 316, duration of the listing320, “Buy It Now” sale price 318, and location of the product may all beincluded in the published listing from information provided by theseller 106 and shown in FIGS. 3 b and 3 c. FIG. 3 e is a diagram furtherillustrating a listing published on a Web auction service using sellerprovided information from the auction application according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The product image 330 specified bythe seller 106 and the description from the description template 335provide potential bidders/buyers 105 with detailed product information.Using this information as a template allows a seller 106 to rapidlygenerate further listings for similar products. FIG. 3 f is a diagramillustrating the incorporation of shipping and payment information in alisting from a seller-defined shipping profile according to oneembodiment of the present invention. A shipping profile 336 is like atemplate in generating default shipping and payment details. The auctionapplication 100 may allow a seller 106 to generate several differentprofiles from which a seller may select one or the seller rely upon adefault profile when generating listings.

In addition to creating a listing as discussed above, a seller 106 mayalso save the listing, in its entirety or partially, as a listingtemplate which can be used in the future to create new listings. Aseller 106 can then decide whether to create a new listing from scratch,use a current or prior listing, or use an existing listing template. Ifthe seller 106 uses a listing template, all the information in thelisting template is used to populate the listing fields with the seller106 still capable of editing the information therein before publishingthe listing. A listing may also be created by copying an existing or oldlisting. For example, a seller 106 may search through existing (i.e.,currently in progress or waiting to be scheduled) listings and/or oldlistings (i.e., listings that have already closed) and select a listingto copy. The information from the copied listing is then used topopulate the listing fields for the new listing with the seller 106still capable of editing the information therein before publishing thenew listing. Copying a listing is similar to creating a listing from atemplate except that an already specified listing rather than a templateis used.

Once a listing is created, it can be scheduled for publication or sentto the Web auction service 108 for immediate publication. Before thisoccurs, the business information management system 120 is queried tovalidate if the product(s) are available. If the products are notavailable, the seller 106 is presented with an error message in theseller interface 103. Otherwise, the product(s) are reserved by, forexample, generating a reservation for the product(s) in the businessinformation management system 120—also referred to as generating aquotation for the product(s). The reservation is not complete but isused as a placeholder along with the listing information in order toprevent the product(s) from being otherwise disposed. The plant andlocation information for the product(s) gathered in the staging area maybe used to implement the reservation or quotation for the product(s)where the product location matters. The product(s) may be reserved atany time during the listing process but most likely will be reservedwhen the listing is first created or when the listing is published tothe Web auction service. Alternatively, product(s) may be reserved whena listing is activated on the Web auction service 108 (provided the Webauction service allows inactive listings) or when the information forthe product(s) is first brought into the staging area. Alternatively,products may never be reserved. The Web auction service 108 handles theexecution of the listing and the taking and validating of bids andoffers according to the example embodiment though, alternatively, aportion of this process may be handled by the auction application 100.

Post-Listing Processing:

Post-listing processing 203 is the third step in the enhancednetwork-based auction process and occurs after the listing processing202 as a result of the conclusion of an auction or posting-for-sale(i.e., a listing). Information may be pulled (i.e., retrieved) from theWeb auction service 108 by the auction application 100 as one method ofretrieving winner or other listing information. A Web auction service108 may also push (i.e., send on its own accord) listing information tothe auction application 100. A listing may be concluded automaticallythrough the completion of the listing processing or manually through theearly termination of the listing by the seller 106. A seller 106 maymanually terminate an auction, for example, when he/she determines thereis insufficient interest for the product(s) or when he/she receives adesirable offer and no longer wants to wait for a later plannedconclusion to the auction or posting-for-sale. A seller 106 may manuallyterminate a listing for a number of reasons with the manual terminationgenerally representing a departure from the planned closing conditions.

The automatic conclusion for a posting-for-sale may occur by aparticular date and time (i.e., an offer end date) or when theproduct(s) are purchased. On the other hand, the automatic conclusion ofan auction generally occurs at particular date and time advertised bythe Web auction service 108 for the auction. However, an auction may beclosed under other circumstances. For example, an auction may concludewhen a particular price target is met. A posting-for-sale generallyconcludes when an order is placed for the specified price or when aconclusion date is reached. In one embodiment of the present invention,the conclusion of the auction or posting-for-sale is only successful ifa target price (i.e., reserve price) is met, where specified. Forexample, if product A is being auctioned with a reserve price of $10.00,a successful closing to the auction only occurs if a valid bid of $10.00or more is made on the Web auction service 108 by the closing date. Aspreviously discussed, an auction or posting-for-sale may includemultiple quantities of a product or set of products. Under thesecircumstances, the auction or posting-for-sale may be only partiallysuccessful when it closes if only a portion of the offered quantity issold. The Web auction service 108 generally receives and validates thebids and offers and determines successful auction winners or buyers of aposting-for-sale. In alternative embodiments of the present invention,the seller 106 may determine successful auction winners or successfulpurchases using information provided by the Web auction service 108. Theclosing of a listing whether manually terminated or closed orautomatically closed may also need to conform to the requirements of theWeb auction service 108 and may limit the closing options available tothe seller 106.

According to the example embodiment of the present invention, asuccessful conclusion of a listing (e.g., an auction orposting-for-sale) results in the initiation of the checkout process (thewinning bidder/buyer finalization process) 203—the post listingprocessing 203. The checkout process is used to verify the winningbidder/buyer information and to generate the necessary order(s) in thebusiness information management system 120 serving as the backend to theauction application 100. During the checkout process, the winningbidder/buyer 105 (i.e., the customer) verifies the purchase of the itemon the Web auction service 108 and the customer 105 may also verify andupdate delivery and payment information.

The checkout process may be conducted through the Web auction service108 or directly between the winning bidder/buyer 105 and the auctionapplication 100 (the seller 106). In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the checkout process is conducted through the Web auctionservice 108. This embodiment may be used when, for example, the seller106 wants to leverage the Web auction service 108 infrastructure or whenthe seller 106 wants to remain anonymous. For example, if a seller 106has limited network-based (e.g., Internet-based) presence and capabilityto handle the transaction, the seller 106 may want to leverage theinfrastructure provided by the Web auction service 108. In anotherexample, if the seller 106 is a brand-name manufacturer disposing ofexcess inventory, the seller 106 may not want bidders/buyers 105 to knowthat its name-brand products can be purchased on the Web auction service108 at a potentially discounted price. Notification is the first step inthe Web auction service-based checkout process. A winning bidder 105 mayreceive an email notification from the Web auction service 108 informinghim/her that he/she has won the auction listing. For a posting-for-sale,the buyer 105 may be immediately informed that he/she has successfullyexecuted a purchase when the buyer 105 is online. In either case, theWeb auction service 108 may calculate the total checkout amount for thewinning bidder/buyer 105 based on the information provided by the seller106 (e.g., shipping costs) and using the winning bid/purchase priceprovided by the winning bidder/buyer 105. The seller 106 may also benotified of the winning bidder/buyer 105 by the Web auction service 108.

The payment method selected by the winning bidder/buyer 105 must conformto acceptable forms of payment 336 identified by the seller 105 and thisform of payment dictates the following steps in the checkout process203. FIG. 4 a is a diagram illustrating how forms of payment may bespecified in a listing and how selection of one form of payment links awinning bidder/buyer 105 to an appropriate payment site according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The payment details 401 may beincluded in the listing 400 on the Web auction service 108. The form ofpayment may be linked to an appropriate payment page for the Web auctionservice 108 or other third party payment provider. For example,selecting PayPal® 402 as the third party payment provider brings thewinning bidder/buyer 105 to the PayPal® Web site 405 from which apayment can be made and the checkout process 203 continued. Once thewinning bidder/buyer 105 makes the appropriate payment on the PayPal®Web site 405, PayPal® sends an Instant Payment Notification (IPN)message to the seller 106 (to the auction application 100) in the formof an HTTP post message confirming that the winning bidder/buyer 105 hasmade a payment as part of the checkout process 203. PayPal® is only oneexample of a third party payment provider and may itself be limited tooffering services in only a few countries. Other third party paymentproviders may also be used. For example, in Germany (where PayPal® isnot available), an Iloxx powered Treuhandservice may be used for paymenttransfers. The winning bidder/buyer 105 makes the necessary payment toIloxx, which confirms the payment and notifies the seller 106. The Webauction service 108 may also provide its own payment system that may beused by the winning bidder/buyer 105 to make payment as part of thecheckout process 203. Under these circumstances, the Web auction service108 on receipt of payment from the winning bidder/buyer 105 may confirmthe payment and send an appropriate notification to the seller 106. Thewinning bidder/buyer 105 may also make payment arrangements directlywith the seller 106 when the seller 106 offers this option. In thisscenario, the winning bidder/buyer 105 makes arrangements for thepayment and the seller 106 processes the payment on receipt from thewinning bidder/buyer 105. In all the cases discussed above, the paymentstep is generally the second step following notification in the checkoutprocess 203.

Regardless of the form of financial service provider handling thepayment for the winner (e.g., a third party payment provider or the Webauction service itself), the payment confirmation may be retrieved(i.e., pulled) by the auction application 100 from the financial serviceprovider through a communication API with the financial service providerand/or the confirmation may be sent (i.e., pushed) from the financialservice provider to the auction application 100. Once the confirmationis received, the auction application 100 may make a calculation todetermine that the payment made (the actual payment) equals the expectedpayment from the listing. If there is a mismatch because of either anunderpayment or an overpayment, the checkout process is incomplete and aresolution procedure may need to be executed. This resolution proceduremay involve a manual resolution to the overpayment/underpayment.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the checkout process 203is conducted between the winning bidder/buyer 105 and the seller 106through the auction application 100. This embodiment may be used when aseller 106 wants to leverage its own network-based (e.g.,Internet-based) sales architecture and/or when the seller 106 wants todrive traffic to his/her own network-based (e.g., Web) site topotentially generate additional sales. The notification step differsslightly in that in addition to the notification by the Web auctionservice 108, the seller 106 may send a notification message (e.g., anemail) to the winning bidder/buyer 105 referencing the checkout processfor the listing. The seller 106 provided notification may expedite thecheckout process 203 by including a URL with a secure ID for a checkoutWeb page (or other network-based site) that is particular to the listingand the winning bidder/buyer 105. For example, if the winningbidder/buyer 105 is not already a customer of the seller 106 and is notregistered with the seller 106, a random secure ID may be used as partof the URL linking the winning bidder/buyer 105 with either aregistration Web page (if the winning bidder/buyer 105 information is tobe stored for future use) or to a checkout Web page (where the winningbidder/buyer 105 information will be used for a one-time transaction).The fields of the checkout Web page may be pre-populated withinformation from the listing and the Web auction service 108. If thewinning bidder/buyer 105 is already a registered customer of the seller106, a login page may be presented separately or a login required aspart of a checkout Web page where fields are pre-populated as discussedabove.

FIG. 4 b is a diagram illustrating a sample checkout Web page for aseller site (auction application) run checkout process according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The checkout Web page 410 shownalready assumes a winning bidder/buyer 105 has already logged in and canlog off 411 at any time. A description of the listing 412 and details ofthe products in the listing 413 are shown along with a total cost 414computed for the winning bidder/buyer 105 by the auction application 100(i.e., the seller site). In addition, the winning bidder/buyer-specifiedbilling information 416 and shipping information (not shown) along withpayment information 415 is presented allowing the winning bidder/buyer105 to review this information before providing it to the seller 106.FIG. 4 c is a diagram illustrating a listing in the process of checkoutin a sample listing management screen as part of the seller interface103 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The listingmanagement screen 420 may allow a seller 106 the ability to trackinformation regarding all his/her finalized listings 421. Finalizedlistings 421 are shown in the listing management screen 420 with orderinformation 423 specific to a selected listing shown in a tab 422 of thebottom pane of the screen 420. The payment information for the order 424indicates that a payment by credit card 425 has been made and that it isstill being processed 426.

The payment step is handled by the auction application 100 (i.e., theseller site) according to this embodiment of the present invention. Theauction application 100 may allow for direct payments or may use thirdparty payment providers such as PayPal® and the Treuhandservice by Iloxxas discussed above. The auction application 100 may be configured todirectly accept credit card payments requiring credit card processing tobe provided in the auction application 100 or through the backendbusiness information management system 120 either of which may need tocommunicate with an external clearinghouse to process the transactions.The auction application 100 may also allow cash or cash equivalentpayments to be made in any technically feasible form. For example, thewinning bidder/buyer 105 may authorize a wire or electronic cashtransaction by providing his/her bank account and bank routinginformation to the seller 106 along with any necessary transactionauthorization allowing the auction application 100 to generate anelectronic transfer for the winning bidder's/buyer's credit. In anotherexample, the auction application 100 may prompt (e.g., online or bysending a bill or invoice either electronically and/or by hardcopy) thewinning bidder/buyer 105 to submit a check or money order in response toa winning bidder's/buyer's 105 request to make a cash payment.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the auction application 100may be configured to add the winning bidder/buyer 105 as a new customer(i.e., business partner) in the business information management system120. For example, the winning bidder/buyer 105 and his/her associatedinformation are added to the appropriate customer and other associatedtables of the backend business information management system 120creating a new customer master record. In particular, a unique customer(business partner) identifier is assigned to the new customer and it islinked (i.e., mapped) to a Web auction service identifier for thecustomer (e.g., in a lookup table or using associated key fields in atable) in the business information management system 120. According tothis embodiment, the auction application 100 compares the winningbidder/buyer information with existing customer information in thebusiness information management system 120. For example, the businessinformation management system 120 is searched using the Web auctionservice identifier for the winning bidder/buyer 105. If the customerentry already exists, customer specific information may be retrieved andpresented during the checkout process 203. For example, a winningbidder/buyer 105 may be presented with shipping address, paymentinformation, etc. based on the information stored in the businessinformation management system 120. The winning bidder/buyer 105 may thencontinue with this default information or may edit the appropriateentries and submit the necessary information. If the customer entry doesnot already exist, customer information may be added to the businessinformation management system 120 as part of the checkout process 203.The mapping of a customer identifier to the Web auction service customeridentifier in the business information management system 120 allowsrapid searching for existing customers and prevents duplicating entriesfor the same customer.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the checkoutprocess 203 is executed without saving the customer information in thebusiness information management system 203—without creating a newcustomer entry or new customer master record. The customer informationis still necessary as part of the checkout process 203, however, thecustomer information is not stored in a manner allowing it to be reusedin further checkout processes. In this situation, one-time customer datamay be stored in the information for the order but is not used togenerate specific customer information separate from the order.

Regardless of whether a new customer entry is created in the businessinformation management system 120 (i.e., a new customer master record iscreated), an order needs to be created for each winning bidder/buyer 105of a listing. The order is created primarily using the original listinginformation with additional information provide by the Web auctionservice 108 (e.g., winning bid or purchase price). A reservation mayalready have been created when the listing was first generated orpublished as part of a quotation of the quantity in the listing and, inthis case, additional details may need to be added for the reservation.The pricing information for the order may include an overall price ormay be broken down by product in multi-product listings. In addition,tax and shipping fees along with other fees may also need to becalculated and included in the order. This additional information may beprovided by the Web auction service 108, calculated by the auctionapplication 100, or may need to be generated or manually entered for theorder. Shipping costs are normally included in the listing by: includinga flat fee for shipping regardless of shipping destination within theregion the seller 106 will ship to; the use of a Web auction service 108shipping calculator to estimate shipping costs; or by not specifying thecost in the listing but specifying the shipping cost based on a selecteddelivery method during the checkout process (i.e., allowing the winningbidder/buyer 105 to select one of several shipping options during thecheckout process 203). In any case, the order may need to allow forautomatic and/or manual determination of shipping costs to handle thevarious possibilities. Tax costs may need to allow for the inclusion ofU.S. sales taxes along with foreign value added taxes (VAT) such as theGerman Mehrwertsteuer (VAT). The auction application 100 and/or thebusiness information management system 120 may include the integrationof external tax packages such as those of Vertex, Inc. and Taxware tosupport these tax calculations. The total costs of the order arepresented to the winning bidder/buyer 105 as previously discussed priorto the payment step in the checkout process 203. A delivery block (i.e.,blocking the delivery of the product(s)) may be placed on the orderuntil proper payment is received.

The delivery step generally occurs after payment is made (the paymentstep) regardless of whether checkout occurs on the Web auction service108 or through the auction application 100 (i.e., the seller site)according to the example embodiment. The product(s) are generallyreserved when the listing is either first created, published, oractivated on the Web auction service 108. The reservation of theproduct(s) may include the specification of the product(s) by locationthrough the use of location specific fields such as plant, storagelocation, and/or shipping point in a warehousing or plant specificmodule of the business information management system 120. For example,the Warehouse Management (WM) module of the SAP® R/3® system may beused. After any delivery blocks are removed when payments are received,the product(s) are shipped according to the shipping method and to theshipping address as verified during the checkout process 203. A winningbidder/buyer 105 may be able, through the winning bidder/buyer interface104, to check on the status of the order to include the shipping statusif carrier tracking is provided by the business information managementsystem 120. For example, SAP® Express Carrier configuration in the SAP®Internet Sales Architecture running on R/3® can provide detailedtracking of an order by handling units. In an alternative embodiment,delivery may be made before payment is received such as during paymentprocessing or when selling on credit (i.e., an internal seller credit)to a winning bidder/buyer.

Other steps in the checkout process 203 may include updating generalaccounting and financial information for the seller 106 based on adelivered and paid order. Additionally, the payment of fees to otherexternal service providers may be necessary and may also need to becalculated and paid. For example, the Web auction service 108 willtypically charge a fee for the listing which the seller 106 will need topay if not already paid in advance. Additionally, the use of an externalclearing house for a credit card order, PayPal®, and the Iloxx runTreuhandservice may also need to be paid for by the seller 106 asappropriate. The billing of these fees may or may not be automated andmay occur outside the immediate checkout process between the winningbidder/buyer 105 and the seller 106. Alternatively, the payment of thesefees may be required in conjunction with the checkout process 203. Forexample, the Web auction service 108 fee may need to be paid as part ofthe checkout process 203.

Feedback:

A Web auction service 108 may allow a winning bidder/buyer 105 to leavefeedback regarding a seller 106 and for a seller 106 to leave feedbackregarding the winning bidder/buyer 105 on the Web auction service 108.The auction application 100 as part of its scheduled processes mayretrieve feedback left by winning bidders/buyers 105 regarding theseller 106. This information may then become available to the seller aspart of the monitoring and analyzing process 204 discussed below. Inaddition, the seller 106 may generate and leave feedback with the Webauction service 108 regarding the winning bidder/buyer 105. Thisfeedback may also be stored by the auction application 100 either in adatabase 117 or in the business information management system 120 alongwith the customer information so that it is available for future use.The seller feedback available on the Web auction service 108 may be usedby other bidders/buyers 105 when deciding whether to bid on or to make apurchase from a seller's listings. In a similar manner, bidder/buyerfeedback available on the Web auction service 108 may be used by othersellers in determining what forms of payment to accept and whether toaccept the bids/offers of a bidder/buyer 105.

Monitoring and Analyzing Listings:

The fourth step in the enhanced network-based auction process is themonitoring and analyzing of listings 204 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. The monitoring and analyzing of listings 204 mayoccur in parallel throughout the entire process and is not sequentiallydependent on any of the other steps in the process as outlined. As thename implies, the monitoring and analyzing step 204 allows a seller toboth monitor listings and perform analysis on the listings through theseller interface 103 of the auction application 100. The sellerinterface 103 may allow the seller 106 the ability to monitor listingsaccording to a number of parameters. For example, the seller 106 mayview all his/her listings, only published listings, closed listings,etc. FIG. 5 a is a diagram illustrating a seller interface displayallowing a seller to monitor his/her listings according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The monitoring screen 500 allowsthe seller 106 to view particular types of listings 501, in this case“failed to publish” listings. The seller 106 may also conduct a search502 and may specify the field 503 by which the listings are sorted ordisplayed. In this case, the listings are those that have “failed topublish” 501 and are organized by listing name 504. A listing title 505and scheduled publication date 506 are also included along with thelisting status 507—in this case “Errors” for the listings that havefailed to publish. Clicking on the error field 507 (i.e., the statusfield) allows the seller 106 to display details 508 about the listingthat have caused the particular status. Regarding the selected listingshown, the error causing the failure to publish the listing is theinability to reserve the product selected for the listing. As previouslystated, reserving the product or creating a quotation may occur toensure that the product isn't otherwise disposed of, as this case shownin FIG. 5 a indicates. Additional listing information may also beavailable through the monitoring display. For example, other listingdetails, highest bidder information, and bidder information may also beavailable from information in the auction application 100, database 117,or downloaded (retrieved) from the Web auction service 108 through ascheduled process as previously discussed.

As shown in FIG. 5 a, a seller 106 may be able to conduct a search ofhis/her listings limiting the information displayed and facilitating themonitoring process. FIG. 5 b is a diagram illustrating a sellerinterface display allowing a seller to search his/her listings as partof the monitoring process according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. The display screen 510 shows a basic search returning a groupof listings organized and sorted by listing name 504. The basic searchfield 511 allows a seller 106 to view open listings, active listings,finalized listings, and closed listings according the example depictedin FIG. 5 b but does not have to be limited in this manner. The listingsare also sorted by name 512 as they were in FIG. 5 a. In addition, asearch term “Laptop1” 513 is used to limit the returned listings tothose containing a “Laptop1” product. In addition to the listingdescription 505 and status 507, the start date 515 and end date 517 forthe listings are also displayed. Selecting a listing by clicking on thename 504 may result in the display of the product details 517 for thelisting according the example depicted in FIG. 5 b. A seller 106 mayalso be provided the option to conduct an advanced search 514 if thebasic search is not sufficient. FIG. 5 c is a diagram illustrating theadvanced search designation screen of the seller interface according toone embodiment of the present invention. The advanced search screen 520allows the seller 106 to specify more detailed search parametersincluding a listing name 521 and a product name 524 for which wild cardsmay be used in the name specification. A start date range 522 and an enddate range 523 for the listing search may also be specified as well asselecting listings by those for which a reserve price 525 and those withan automatic bid increment 526 are included. FIG. 5 c is only oneexample and different and/or more detailed advanced searching optionsmay be presented to the seller 106.

In addition to searching listings and viewing their status, currentlisting information may also be viewed by the seller 106 as part of themonitoring process 204. FIG. 5 d is a diagram illustrating the viewingof bidding information for an auction listing according to oneembodiment of the present invention. For a selected listing in thesearch screen, bidding information 531 can be viewed by selecting a“Bids Placed” tab 532 according to example depicted in FIG. 5 d. Thebids specify the bidder 533 but are organized by the latest bid placedaccording to the time of the bid 534 and include the bid amount 535.Other listing information may also be displayed including, for example,a start price 537, a specified reserve price 536, and a bid increment538 if one is specified. FIG. 5 d is an example of the Web auctionservice 108 data that can be periodically retrieved by scheduledprocess, copied to the auction application 100, and made available tothe seller 106 as part of the monitoring and analyzing process 204.

In addition to the monitoring functions described above, the sellerinterface 103 may also provide analysis such as tracking statisticsbased on a listing history of the seller. A seller may be provided aninterface to generate reports based on seller specified listingparameters with the reports generated using data from the seller'slisting history. These reports can determine, for example, overallprofitability of listings, listing success rates, product demand,demand-to-price analyses, and location based demand analyses. Accordingto one embodiment of the present invention, the analytical reportingavailable through the seller interface 103 of the auction application100 may be provided using the SAP® BW reporting tool. Examples ofanalytical statistics that may be collected/tracked and made availableto a seller may include the top n successfully/unsuccessfully closedlistings based on either revenue generated and/or time period. Accordingto this example, analytical information regarding the amount of revenuegenerated or revenue that could have been earned (but failed to earn dueto unsuccessful listings) over a certain period of time may be provided.The presentation or selection of this information may be further refinedaccording to a seller's business unit/department/division or other suchgrouping categories. In addition to listing revenues and listings overtime, other examples of analytical information may include informationfor relistings (reposted listings), the most listed categories and/orproducts, the most failed listings by category and/or product, thenumber of relistings by category and/or product, the return oninvestment per listing, etc. The above examples make apparent that awide variety of analytical information and statistics may be tracked andmade available to a seller according to this embodiment of the presentinvention.

Alternative embodiments of the present invention may provide additionalor alternative features to those described above. In an alternativeembodiment, the seller interface 103 may include a personalized homepagethat may have a different login for each user and/or role. When a user(for instance seller 106) logs in, information may be provided showingtasks and listing status for the seller. The personalized homepage maybe viewed and/or accessed from the SAP® R/3® or CRM seller side orelsewhere, and may provide information by default such as, for example,current listings, listings scheduled to be published, and recentlyclosed listings. Prior listings may also be republished using thepersonalized homepage.

The personalized homepage may allow for customized name searches, andmay be used with a system such as an SAP® ERP (Enterprise ResourcePlanning) system or SAP® R/3®. The personalized homepage may provide theuser with highlights of the listing information and may grab information(in particular, user-requested information) from a backend system suchas the business information management system 120.

For example, if a holiday is approaching, a seller may schedule now (inadvance) to publish to the Web auction service 108 on the holiday. Whenthe seller logs in, a list of what will be published and what has beenpublished may be displayed, as well as any problems with either of thepublished listings or the yet-to-be published listings. This informationmay be displayed in a predefined field or, alternatively, may betime-dependent information. For time-dependent information, specificcriteria may be defined and set-up. A user may create a login script orscenario including as many fields as may be included in a query, whichmay run each time the user logs in. The user may also name particularsearches and save a set of searches accessible from the personalizedhomepage. A user may edit the personalized homepage to show only whatthey wish to view, for example, a list of auction items sold.

One example method for performing the personalization process mayinclude making an advanced query with different fields. The differentfields may include product name, status of listing, publication status(including closed and checked out), and published in a certain daterange. The backend system (e.g., SAP® R/3® or other ERP system) mayreceive the queries though hyperlinks which a seller may click on in thepersonalized homepage causing a query to execute on the backend systemwith the query results being displayed to the user. These queries may besaved to the system (as part of the hyperlink or otherwise) and may beexecuted when the user logs in. Clicking a hyperlink may result in thedisplay of specific information relating to the listings satisfying thequery. Queries may be named to allow the user to execute any number ofqueries. The queries results may include more detailed information onthe products in the listing as well.

The personalized homepage may be set up using the business informationmanagement system 120, for instance an SAP® R/3® system or SAP® ERPsystem, or other backed system. The quantity of a product and the numberof products that the seller wants to place in the listing may identifiedin the business information management system 120 (e.g., marking afield) which may then be used in a query in the personalized homepage ofthe auction application 100. For example, a business warehouse system(for instance, the BW system from SAP®) search may provide such savedinformation in response to a personalized homepage query. According tothis embodiment queries may be predefined or customized by the seller oruser in the personalized homepage.

An alert system may also be included using the queries in order to alertthe seller as to which products are ready for listing. The resultingquery may display the product and other selected listings on a screenbefore a new listing is generated. The information may be stored in thebackend system (e.g., an ERP system, SAP® R/3®, or SAP® BW).

When a user logs into a system, a query may be executed based on apredefined query (which may have been created by the user) with respectto an application status. For example, the query may communicate with adatabase in the backend of an ERP system.

The query may use links or hyperlinks to communicate with a database forinformation. This query system may provide a flexible system for a usersetting-up a homepage.

Listing Themes:

A seller 106 may also define a listing theme providing a distinct lookand feel to the listing of a seller 106 during the listing creation andpublishing in the listing processing 202 step in the enhancednetwork-based auction model. This may help promote brand identity orseller identity by ensuring a consistent look and feel for sellerlistings on the Web auction service 108. Listing themes may consist ofstandard HTML with links to images and embedded styles included for thecustomization in the presentation of a seller's listings. Using embeddedlinks in the HTML requires that the linked images and styles also beavailable to the Web auction service 108 so that the listing theme canbe displayed properly with all its components available. Listing themesmay only be implemented where a Web auction service 108 allows sellerspecified theme information to be displayed.

A listing theme is generally first created in a display language such asHTML using a specific editor (e.g., an HTML editor) or a text editor.This function may be available through the seller interface 103 or theseller may import a document (e.g., an HTML document) created outsidethe auction application 100. A listing theme may be created in theauction application 100 according to one embodiment of the presentinvention or, alternatively, may be directly sent to the Web auctionservice 108, where the Web auction service 108 provides support for suchthemes. Placeholder sections inside the HTML document indicate areaswhere substitute text for the listing will be included—listinginformation will be copied into the placeholder area. Listing themes arecomposed conceptually as an entire body of HTML, within which varioussections of relevant listing information, such as listing description,shipping information, or payment details, reside. Certain sections ofthe listing information, such as listing description, may varyconstantly depending on the product, while others such as shippinginformation, return policies, and payment information may be relativelystatic. Conceptually, themes can consist of various static and dynamicpage sections that in aggregate compose the actual listing theme.Currently these sections may include the header, sales policy, shippingpolicy additional information as shown below.

A listing theme layout generally conforms to the following visualrepresentation according to this embodiment. Listing themes may bestored either as a full HTML document or as an HTML document fragment. Afull HTML document would be demarcated with the requisite HTML start andend tags as well as the attending head and body tags. An HTML documentfragment would need only the start and end tags of the whole of thefragment to match. The document fragment start and end tags shouldpreferably also be designated block level tags such as table, div or p.An optional embedded style section can also be inserted to the beginningof the document fragment if the seller 106 intends to employ styles forcustomizing the display. The examples below display both an HTMLdocument and document fragment: <!-- BEGIN HTML DOCUMENT --> <html><head> <style type=“text/css”> a.link   { text-decoration: none!important}   a.hover   { text-decoration: underline !important}</style> </head> <body> <table>   <tr>   <td><a href“...”>...</a></td>  </tr> </table> </body> </html> <!-- END HTML DOCUMENT --> <!-- BEGINDOCUMENT FRAGMENT --> <style type=“text/css”>   a.link   {text-decoration: none !important}   a.hover   { text-decoration:underline !important} </style> <table>   <tr>   <td><ahref“...”>...</a></td>   </tr> </table> <!-- END DOCUMENT FRAGMENT -->

Although the Web auction service 108 may accept both full HTML documentsand document fragments, the preferred method is to use documentfragments according to this embodiment. Inserting themes as documentfragments into a Web auction service 108 listing page normally resultsin valid HTML. When entire HTML documents are inserted, the result maybe a non-valid HTML page because there would be more than one start andend html tags. Depending on how sensitive the bidder/buyer 105 browseris to HTML errors, the effect may lead to an unintentional orundesirable display.

Special tags may be used within listing themes to demarcate placeholderswithin the HTML, which the auction application 100 or Web auctionservice 108 will substitute with corresponding field values pertinent tothe listing. The format of the placeholder will standardize on syntaxderived from the current JSP specification and/or the HTMLb tag service.The placeholder uses a general XML namespace:tag name format. Forexample, the placeholder for the listing product title may be written asfollows:

-   -   <h1><sap:product_title/></h1>

In this example, SAP® is the XML namespace and product-title denotes thetagname. Both monikers taken together as the tag represent a placeholderthat the auction application 100 or Web auction service 108 will removeand replace with the stored value corresponding to the product title.Other placeholders for the remaining fields will work in a similarmanner. The actual listing theme may be composed using a documentfragment consisting of an HTML table, the contents of which constitutethe theme that will be displayed as part of the listing on the Webauction service 108. Providing a further example, valid HTML code for alisting theme can appear as the following: <! --START LIST THEME --><table cellpadding=“0” cellspacing=“0”> <tr> <td><h1><sap:product_title/></h1> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><h1><sap:product_description/></h1> </td> </tr> </table> <!-- END LISTTHEME -->

This fragment can be inserted into the Web auction service 108 listingpage when the listing is published. The fragment may contain links toimages and other resources outside of the Web auction service 108. Ifthis is the case, these linked images and other resources must be madeexternally available to the Web auction service 108 in order for thelisting theme to display correctly. It may be the responsibility of theseller 106 to ensure this occurs as the auction application 100 may notbe able to determine these components if the listing themes are notgenerated in the auction application 100. Note that the starting andending HTML comments are optional, but desirable for formatting anddevelopment purposes. The following is an example of a user-defined tagand template implementation of a listing theme: <!-- BEGIN USER-DEFINEDTAG --> <style type=“text/css”>   a.link { text-decoration: none!important}   a.hover  { text-decoration: underline !important} </style><table>   <tr>   <td><sap:include value=“productImage2” /></td>   </tr></table> <!-- END USER-DEFINED TAG --> <!-- BEGIN EXAMPLE OFUSER-DEFINED TEMPLATE --> <sap:include value=“defaultStyleFragment”/><table>   <tr>   <td><sap:include value=“productImage2” /></td>   </tr></table> <!-- END EXAMPLE OF USER-DEFINED TEMPLATE -->Persistence:

In one example, the SAP® database (DB) 117 is a software applicationthat works with the J2EE™-based SAP® Web application server used in theexample embodiment depicted if FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c. SAP® DB mayserve as the persistence database for the auction application 100according to one embodiment of the present invention. In other words,data entries are made to the SAP® DB database 117 in order to ensure thepersistence of the data received from and transferred to either the Webauction service 108 or the backend business information managementsystem 120.

Method Flowchart:

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The flow in FIG. 6 begins in startcircle 60 and proceeds to action 61, which indicates to select via auser interface the product from stored product information. The storedproduct information includes a data structure. From action 61, the flowproceeds to action 62, which indicates to electronically send to theauction information about the selected product. The selected product isto be listed on the auction. From action 62, the flow proceeds to endcircle 63.

1. A method of accessing product information for listing a product on anetwork-based auction service, comprising: selecting via a userinterface the product from stored product information, the storedproduct information comprising a data structure; and electronicallysending to the auction information about the selected product, theselected product to be listed on the auction.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the data structure comprises a hierarchy of products in amulti-level catalog.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the informationabout the selected product includes at least one of a description, aprice, a category, a quantity, and an image.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising manually entering information about a further productinto the stored product information.
 5. The method of claim 4, furthercomprising verifying the information about the further product against arelevant backend information system.
 6. The method-according to claim 1,further comprising: importing a stored product information item, thestored product information item being selected as a function of ananalytical process, the analytical process analyzing data regarding atleast one listing on the network-based auction service.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 6, further comprising storing the product informationitem in a business information management system.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 7, wherein the business information management systemis at least one of an SAP R/3 based system and an SAP CRM based system.9. A computer readable medium including instructions adapted to executea method of accessing product information for listing a product on anetwork-based auction service, the method comprising: selecting via auser interface the product from stored product information, the storedproduct information comprising a data structure; and electronicallysending to the auction information about the selected product, theselected product to be listed on the auction.